Plants make these natural pesticides, we call them secondary metabolites—alkaloids, terpenes, phenolics. They're a plant's built-in defence against pests and disease. But in my work, I see them as a blueprint, not the final answer. Their supply is unreliable and their potency often too weak for modern monocultures.
In the lab, we isolate the active core and rebuild it synthetically to be stronger and more stable. My life's work is improving on nature's design, because waiting for a plant to evolve its own defence is a luxury a hungry world cannot afford.
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